Soil Bio Technology (SBT)® FAQs

What is Soil Bio Technology® or SBT® or CAMUS®-SBT®

Soil Bio Technology ®  or SBT ® is a trademarked nature based technology brand for treatment of waste water using Soil Biology.  SBT ® was developed by the founding members of VEC and has been trademarked by Vision Earthcare Pvt Ltd for commercialization. No entity is allowed to promote / develop / install / purchase SBT® without prior written permission and site specific license authorized by Vision Earthcare Pvt Ltd (VEC). Every SBT® plant design, engineering is approved by Vision Earthcare Pvt Ltd and commissioned by VEC's authorized personnel. Vision Earthcare has not authorized any other party to represent SBT® in the market (in case of such fraudulent activity) please inform VEC at legal@visionearthcare.com for us to take necessary legal action.  VEC is aware of many illegal copy cat implementations claiming to be Soil BioTechnology® / SBT® which typically are Constructed Soil Filters (CSF) which occupy 2 sqm/KLD (STP application) and have much far larger need of O&M requirement, exhibit top level flooding, unsanitary pools of sewage water at top of Biofilter and frequently fail due improper choice of bio media or poor design of process units. 

SBT® technology involves IP developed by research undertaken by independent industrial consultancy work of Prof HS Shankar of IIT Bombay from 1990 to 2013. A patent for the use of pheretima elongata geophagus earthworms was awarded to team headed by Prof HS Shankar of IITB. VEC has taken requisite permission from IITB for utilization of the patent. Apart from the use of the pheretima elongata earthworm, VEC R&D team has incorporated many other microorganisms and macroorganisms in the SBT system with superior performance (the innovation is being patented internationally). 

Customer success via the SBT 
® system involves 1) appropriate site specific sizing of process units, 2) testing, QA/QC during the implementation of the Soil like biomedia for use as the SBT® biofilter media.  VEC's on field innovations marketed under the CAMUS®-SBT® brand have reduced the footprint to 0.6sqm /KLD (Sewage Treatment application) or lower. Soil BioTechnology®  is a continuously upgraded technology which incorporates IP being developed by many institutes of higher education to deliver outcomes demanded by VEC's clients in Govt, Industry and Residential colonies.  The upgraded SBT system are being promoted under the CAMUS®-SBT® brand which incoporates advances such as Biological Nitrogen and Phosphate Removal required by many public utilities and compliance agencies. Certifications for the same are available on request.  










What does Vision Earthcare (VEC)® do?

Vision Earthcare(VEC)® is a green technology firm with the mandate to create sustainable alternatives by understanding the genius encoded within the earth's ecosystems especially in Soil. VEC's soil biotechnology marketed under the brand CAMUS®-SBT® (Continuous Advanced Multistage System using Soil BioTechnology) has proven track record to treat sewage (domestic wastewater) and other industrial waste water effectively and economically. 


CAMUS
®-SBT® consumes less energy i.e. almost 1/3 of the conventional STPs. This technology was developed by Prof H.S Shankar's group at I.I.T Bombay and in over 30 years of sustained work multiple PhD, Masters, Bachelor students and Research scholars have developed methods to harness the power of soil. Technologies developed under this aegis have been patented in India and US.  


VEC has demonstrated these technologies in its service to various industries, institutions and communities across India and the World.
 Our vision is to provide smart sanitation and wastewater treatment solutions to create a sustainable world. We are proud to share that our technology contributes directly to the Goal 6: Sustainable Water Management and Sanitation of the Sustainable Development Goals-2030.

Which sectors can benefit from our technology?

 It provides a smart solution for both small and large-scale deployments. The VEC CAMUS®-SBT® are ideally suited for:

  • MSME and large scale industries
  • Factories
  • Industrial ETP and ZLD installations
  • Communities for decentralized wastewater treatment systems
  • Municipal corporations
  • Schools, Hotels, Hospitals and Institutions
  • Real estate builders and townships

Why VEC?

VEC is the company incubated by IIT Bombay and has successfully commissioned more than 150 wastewater treatment plants in India. Our strength lies in

1.       Technical Acumen

2.       Desire to provide cost-effective solutions to the customers

3.       High quality of the work and post-commissioning services

What is SBT® Technology?

SBT® is a wastewater treatment process, which is based on a soil biology based bio-conversion process where fundamental reactions of nature, namely respiration, photosynthesis and mineral weathering take place in a soil like media housing micro & macro organisms which bring about the desired purification. SBT is an oxygen supplying biological engine and so the process can treat all types of water – domestic, municipal and industrial. 

Where it can be used?

SBT is purely an aerobic treatment process and can treat all types of water – domestic, municipal & industrial. It has application mainly in the area of Municipal wastewater treatment and industrial wastewater treatment such as Pharma, Dairy wastewater, Distillery wastewater, petroleum refinery waste, compost & landfill leachates, fishpond discharges, paper and pulp mills, industrial chemicals, Rubber Chemicals and textile mills.

What are the features of the CAMUS®-SBT® technology?

  •             It's a green/clean technology
  •          No external aeration
  •          Low power consumption
  •          No Noise
  •          No bio-sludge formation
  •          Efficient removal of pollution
  •          Optimal space usage and creates green habitats
  •          One time media installation
  •          Long life
  •          Very less mechanical and electrical equipments

What is the minimum and maximum size of the wastewater treatment projects?

There is no minimum project size.  VEC targets a maximum size of 500,000 people since that size maintains maximum efficiency and cost effectiveness. That upper limit insures the catchment area is small enough for efficient redistribution of reclaimed water. For communities larger than 500,000 it is most efficient to install multiple CAMUS-SBT systems.

Is the VEC’s CAMUS®-SBT® System easy to operate?

It has been designed and demonstrated to require virtually no maintenance. The system has a documented history of the lowest operating costs in the sector.

How much energy is required to run the CAMUS®-SBT® system?

Our technology is energy efficient and it consumes almost one third of the energy consumed by the conventional wastewater treatment technologies.

Can the same technology be used for industrial effluent treatment application?

Yes, oxygen demanding waste can be treated using SBT system. We have demonstrated these systems for certain industrial effluent treatment. However, a treatability study is generally carried out for specific industrial effluent.

What is the payback period?

Normally, the payback period is in between 1.5-3.0 years. Thus, it makes the project feasible.

What is the space requirement?

 Capacity of the CAMUS-SBT STP      Area(M2/KLD)
 100-500 KLD 0.8
 500-1000 kLD     0.7
 1MLD-5MLD     0.6     
 5MLD above 0.5

Does it take septic tank effluent?

Yes.It can take septic tank effluent along with grey water and treat them in the same bio-reactors..

What are the advantages of SBT treatment plant over other technologies in the market?

  • It consumes less energy compared to conventional technologies.
  • It can handle fluctuating loads unlike other technologies.
  • Complete water treatment happens in single pass without any chemical processes.
  • It gives output water quality comparable to international standards in 0.5-2.0 hr of operation.
  • It generates no bio sludge as compared to the conventional technologies.
  • It creates a natural eco-system that generates its own oxygen for water purification in contrast to mechanical aeration in conventional system.
  • Operation and maintenance costs are much lower than the conventional technologies. 
  • No smell or odour. 
  • It creates a green habitat where children can play.
  • No skilled labour is required.

Do we need to replace the media time to time?

No. Media used in the bio-reactors creates a natural eco-system that ensures a minimum life span of 25 year for the desired hydraulic and organic loading.

What are typical components of this system?

SBT media, additive, culture & green plantation the main ingredient of SBT system of wastewater purification. In addition it has distribution grid, mechanical pumps, & control panel.

What is a kind of maintenance required?

O &M of pumps & pipes: All pumps should be running daily to ascertain maintenance requirements. All monitors & alarms should be checked daily. All pipe ports should be maintained daily to ensure that water flows out of all the ports. All valves & fittings should be checked and where faulty should be restored. 

Bioreactor: The top surface should be scrapped weekly/monthly as necessary and the solids should be disposed. The top surface additives should be replenished periodically once say every 12 weeks. This activity can be avoided by adapting raw water tank to sedimentation tank.

 Plantation: The plantation on the bioreactor and surroundings should be regularly watered pruned, and provided with manure as required.

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